


Through Harry's Eyes

by bryoneybrynn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, flangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 23:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4584276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bryoneybrynn/pseuds/bryoneybrynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years of working as an Auror have given Harry Potter sharp observational skills. But when his son invites Scorpius Malfoy over to visit, will Harry see something he doesn’t like?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sesheta66](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=sesheta66).



> **Warning(s):** Some swearing, kissing and implied sexuality, blatant attempt at POV cleverness, dubious success on said attempt; Harry and Ginny happily married .
> 
> **Disclaimer:** All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> I took a few liberties with the epilogue, making James two years older than Al and a Slytherin – it just fit! 
> 
> My betas pointed out that the timeline is a bit confusing, so here’s a breakdown of the dates and ages of the kids:  
> 2018 – summer after Al and Scorp’s first year. The boys are 12 as both have autumn birthdays in my world (James is 14, Lily is 10)  
> 2021 – summer after fourth year. The boys are 15 (James is 17, Lily is 13)  
> 2023 – summer after sixth year. The boys are 17 (James in 19, Lily is 15)  
> 2024 – summer after seventh year. The boys are 18 (James is 20, Lily is 16)
> 
> Thanks to my team of betas, readers, and buoyers of my mental health – blamebrampton, abusing_sarcasm, who_la_hoop, and uninhibited333.

Through Harry’s Eyes

Harry loved his children. After more than twelve years as a parent, he was still blown away by it on a daily basis, how much he loved them.

He’d always wanted a family. Everyone who knew him knew that. If asked, he couldn’t have articulated why exactly but he’d known since he was old enough to realise that the Dursleys weren’t his family – not in any way that counted – that he’d wanted one of his own. Hermione had many theories on this, of course, things related to security and self-worth and identity. Ginny simply said he needed to love in an uncomplicated manner. And while being a parent wasn’t easy, loving his kids certainly was. It was straightforward and unconditional and completely humbling in its power.

Sometimes, when the media were pressing in on them so close Harry couldn’t even Apparate his family away without bringing the reporters along with them, he wondered if it was entirely fair of him to have had children, to burden them with the name Potter and all that came with it. Whenever he voiced this concern, Ginny would give him a despairing but fond look and his children would stridently object, insisting that they loved being his children, were proud to be Potters. James would joke that Harry killing Voldemort had secured him a date every weekend for the rest of his life. Al would dryly state that being born a Potter was better than the alternative. Lily would roll her eyes at her brothers and then climb onto Harry’s lap and give him a long hug.

They were all so different, his three children. Harry rather suspected James took after his namesake. He was gregarious and clever and got in more trouble than both his siblings combined. And while Harry himself had certainly got into his share of scrapes in his time, he had never relished the act of mischief quite the way his eldest son seemed to. James loved pranks and schemes and anything that got a reaction. From a very young age, he had learned how to use the press to his advantage, manipulating them, giving comments and allowing himself to be photographed as suited his purposes. More often than not, the stories and photos that showed up in the _Daily Prophet_ supported whatever rumour or prank he was orchestrating at the time. Needless to say, when the Sorting Hat sent James to Slytherin, no one was very surprised. 

In many ways, Albus seemed to be the dead opposite of his brother. He was quiet and serious and deadly earnest. He shared Harry’s bone-deep sense of right and wrong and his near compulsion to step in when he saw someone being hurt or taken advantage of. He didn’t share his brother’s ease with the press, instead taking their intrusion into their lives very seriously and _very_ personally. Unfortunately, Al was the one the press wanted the most. He looked just like Harry after all, and his dislike of attention was just one more thing he shared with his famous father. Whenever reporters cornered them, shouting out their questions and blocking off escape paths, Al swung back and forth between a kind of nervous shyness and indignant rage. Sometimes Harry felt like he understood Al better than he did anyone else in his life, he saw so much of himself in his son. Other times, Al was a complete mystery, and Harry found himself having new sympathy for Hermione and Ron, finally appreciating how hard it must have been for them when he kept everything inside.

Lily’s personality fell somewhere between those of her brothers. She was outgoing but she was much more grounded than James. She shared his comfort in crowds but she preferred conversation to pranks and was more prone to melodrama than mischief. Like her mother she was the baby of the family and the only girl and, like her mother, she was spoiled shamelessly because of it. She was also the family mediator, the neutral party that could negotiate peace between her brothers. No matter how many times they fought, she was there to help them sort it out. Harry didn’t know where she got her patience. Not from him or Ginny, he knew that much. Harry liked to think it came from his own mother. 

Being a parent was different than he thought it would be, though. Most things in life were – he’d learned that the hard way. He’d anticipated the exhaustion, the busyness, the constant demands for time and attention. He’d expected the sudden illnesses that had them Flooing the Healer at three in the morning, the scraped knees and bumped heads, the fights between them that ended in tears. He’d known he would worry about them and want only the best for them.

But he hadn’t known how much it would hurt when they hurt. Every trial tore at his heart. Every hardship, no matter how small, made him want to sweep them up and lock them away from the world so that they might never know pain of any kind. Watching them go out into the world, living their lives, making mistakes and dealing with the consequences, hurting at times, was the hardest thing he had ever done. He often thought he’d rather face Voldemort again than see his kids suffer even for a moment. He’d take a hundred Dementors over even one of their tears.

***

Seven weeks after the final battle where Voldemort was destroyed once and for all, Harry had bought a cottage in a remote coastal village in north-eastern England. He hadn’t even known the name of the place at the time, only that it was tiny and Muggle and his cottage was set so far back from the rest, it was almost completely isolated. He’d stayed there by himself until September rolled around and he’d had to return to Hogwarts to finish his education. But he came back to the cottage every summer for a few weeks by himself. Ron and Hermione visited, of course, and Ginny, but they didn’t stay. It wasn’t a place he shared with others. It was just for him. A place for him to be alone, with no one asking anything of him. Until James was born.

James had been four months old that first summer. When Harry told Ginny he wanted to take James to the cottage with him, alone, she’d thought he was joking. She’d agreed – after four months of next to no sleep, she relished the idea of seven nights of uninterrupted rest – but it had been obvious she hadn’t thought Harry would be able to handle a whole week alone with their son. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she’d said with a laugh as he waved good-bye.

But she hadn’t. She hadn’t seen them for a whole week. It was exhausting taking care of an infant all by himself, to be sure, but it was wonderful. Harry had spent hours on the beach, just sitting with James in his arms, staring at the sea, relishing the sweet weight of his son’s body against his own, listening to the sound of his soft breath mingling with that of the waves lapping at the shore. He almost hadn’t wanted to return at the end of the week, not ready to let go of this quiet joy he had found with his son.

That had been how it started, Harry’s annual trips to the cottage with his children. At first it had been just for one week. Then, once they were a little older, it became two weeks, and then three. When they were a bit older still, he had invited them each to bring a friend along. He loved his time alone with his children more than anything, but he was under no illusions. Three weeks in a village with a population of 127 and absolutely nothing in the way of entertainment except for one’s siblings was hardly a kid’s idea of fun. James and Lily had jumped at the chance. Albus however hadn’t brought anyone to the cottage, happy to keep Harry company instead. 

It wasn’t that Al didn’t have friends; he did, lots of them in fact. Despite his quiet nature, Al was very well-liked. He often had friends round to the house and was constantly being invited over for visits and sleepovers and weekend getaways. He seemed to enjoy his time with his friends but he was much more reserved than either of his siblings. He didn’t wrestle and playfight with his friends the way James did, nor did sit and talk for hours, laughing and shouting the way Lily and her friends did. And, unlike his brother and sister, Al always seemed glad to come home again. He was always at his most relaxed when it was just the family, sitting together, no one else about.

Harry knew one day this would change and Al would prefer his friends to his family. One day Al would no longer seek out Harry’s company over anyone else’s. But for now, he did, and Harry loved it. 

 

**Summer 2018 (end of first year)**

When Al had said he wanted to bring a friend to the cottage that summer, Harry had known immediately who it would be. Scorpius Malfoy’s name had been all over every letter Al had sent home since starting at Hogwarts. They were in Gryffindor together (and god, but Malfoy must have choked on _that_ ) and, according to reports from Harry’s various nieces and nephews, were nearly inseparable. Not that the reports were all that detailed, mind you. With James in Slytherin, Rose in Ravenclaw and Victoire not predisposed to noticing anyone younger than herself, it was hard for Harry to get much information on the surprising friendship outside of his son’s letters and the bit of gossip that occasionally made its way to Neville. 

Once it had become clear the friendship wasn’t going to end any time soon, Harry had started asking around about Scorpius. Finding information about the youngest Malfoy was easier said than done, however. The family had kept a low profile since the war, with Malfoy apparently doing everything in his power to shield his only child from the constant press of the public. But Harry did manage to find out the odd tidbit. 

Apparently, Scorpius did well in school, ranking high in all of his classes and having an intuitive understanding of magic. He was a good flier but the jury was still out on whether or not he was interested in trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He liked sugar quills, swimming and dogs. He was slightly allergic to strawberries. He often wore a leather bracelet that some kids thought was cool and others thought was most definitely not. Scorpius was kind to most of his housemates, though he had a bit of a mouth on him, and he was quick to defend his friends, especially Albus. It was a strange assortment of facts but the consensus, even if it was of doubtful quality, seemed to be that Scorpius Malfoy was a decent kid.

And, if Harry needed further proof, he only needed to look as far as the smile that lit up Albus’s face every time he talked about his friend. Harry trusted Al. He knew his younger son was a good judge of character. If Albus saw something likable in Scorpius, then there was something likeable there. And even though they might share a name and a face, Scorpius was not his father. Children were not their parents, no matter how much they looked alike. Harry only had to look as far as his own father to know that.

Even knowing all this, though, Harry still wasn’t prepared for the emotional shock of seeing Scorpius pop into existence in the middle of Harry’s sanctuary, looking every inch his father at age twelve. Of course, it didn’t help matters that said father had popped into existence right along with him. As the two Malfoys found their post-Portkey footing, Harry took a moment to study them. It really was remarkable. If not for the shortness of the white-blond hair and the blue of his eyes, there would have been nothing to differentiate Scorpius from his father other than age

It wasn’t until he heard Malfoy grumble, “I can’t believe I’m in Potter’s house,” that Harry shook himself and remembered to play host.

He cleared his throat, unsure what to say. “So you made it okay, then?”

“Clearly, Potter, since we’re both standing here unharmed. How good to know the years haven’t diminished your uncanny ability to grasp the obvious.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I was just trying to be polite, Malfoy.”

“How gracious of you. Sadly your pathetic attempt at manners does nothing to change the fact that your words are pure idiocy.” 

Harry ignored that and turned to the younger Malfoy. “So, you must be Scorpius.”

“Again, brilliant deduction, Potter.”

“Pleased to meet you sir,” Scorpius said, extending a hand. 

Harry shook it while Malfoy glared at a spot somewhere over his son’s shoulder. 

Then there was the sound of footsteps thundering overhead and down the stairs and Albus appeared, a smile a mile-wide on his face. “Scorpius! You’re here!”

Before Scorpius could respond, Al flung himself at the blond boy, the hug almost knocking them both over. 

Harry’s jaw dropped. 

Never in twelve years had he seen Al show affection for anyone other than family. Even with their family, Lily was the only one he still hugged willingly with any regularity. He accepted his parents hugs, liked them even, but he rarely initiated them. Harry couldn’t remember the last time Al had touched James other than to shove him. While Al was close with his cousins, Harry couldn’t recall much in the way of physical affection between them. And Harry had never even seen Al so much as clap a hand on his friends’ shoulders before, never mind throwing himself at them with abandon. 

So Scorpius was special then. He meant something different to Al, something that no one else had meant before. And even though it was unexpected and perhaps not who Harry would have chosen for his son, he couldn’t help but feel warmed by it. Harry knew the importance of friends. Ron and Hermione had saved his life, held him together during some of his darkest moments, helped him save the world. They were his family and had been almost from the moment they’d met. If Al had found a friendship like that with Scorpius, then he wasn’t going to let the fact Scorpius was a Malfoy be an issue. For anyone. 

But then Harry saw something that might be an issue. He had been so stunned by his son’s behaviour, he almost missed Scorpius’s reaction to Al’s tackling embrace. Scorpius’s arms had come up to return Al’s hug –although really, what choice did he have in that, when it was either catch Al or be bowled over by him? – but his body seemed stiff and awkward. Whereas Al’s face could have lit the darkest night, Scorpius looked vaguely uncomfortable and almost displeased. His jaw was tight, his lips pressed thin. 

Of course, they were twelve year old boys and there were dozens of reason Scorpius might not like being smothered by Albus right at that moment. It could be he disliked the display of affection or was embarrassed to have it witnessed by both of their fathers or it could have been something else entirely. But Harry wasn’t really interested in all the possible explanations. Harry was Al’s father and all he cared about was the fact that Scorpius didn’t seem to return Al’s enthusiasm. It was almost as though Scorpius didn’t realise quite how unusual, and therefore precious, that enthusiasm was.

But then the boys were pulling apart and Al still had that crazy grin on his face and Scorpius was smiling too and maybe that’s just how their friendship was. Either way, Al didn’t seem upset by it, so Harry shook off his own sense of disquiet and enjoyed the sight of his middle child happy and excited. Al had now seized Scorpius’s arm and was hauling him off towards his bedroom, Scorpius yelping out a “See you in three weeks, Dad!” before disappearing up the stairs.

“Well,” Harry said as he turned back to Malfoy. “That was something I haven’t seen before, Al so excited about a friend coming to visit. He’s usually pretty reserved.”

Malfoy gave him a doubtful look.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised though. Ever since they met, it seems like every other word out of Al’s mouth is Scorpius.”

“Really?” Draco asked, clearly surprised. “Scorpius barely talks about Al at all. I didn’t even know they were friends until he told me about your invitation to come here.”

Harry frowned at that, his stomach twisting unpleasantly. He searched Malfoy’s face for some sign that his words were meant to antagonise Harry of but he found nothing. No sneer, no cold amusement in the grey eyes. Malfoy appeared to simply be speaking the truth. 

Harry’s frown deepened. “He probably didn’t want you to know he was friends with a Potter on top of being a Gryffindor.”

Malfoy’s lip curled slightly at that. “Please, don’t remind me. They really need to find a new sorting method. That hat is clearly getting senile in its old age. My only comfort is that everyone else in that tower is so simple, he’ll be able to rule over the lot of reckless idiots quite effortlessly.”

“Hey!”

“I’m sorry,” Malfoy drawled. “Present company included, of course.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Come on, Malfoy. Why don’t we have a cup of tea and I’ll tell you about all the security measures I have in place here.”

“Yes. Though, of course, I’m going to inspect the wards myself.”

“Jesus, Malfoy. I’m the head of the Auror department. I do know how to set wards, you know.”

Malfoy looked at him steadily, his expression serious. “Scorpius is at greater risk than the average child.”

“I know. It’s the same with my kids.”

“Your children get death threats from the families who lost loved ones in the war, do they?”

“No, but there has been more than one abduction attempt, not to mention the completely mad photographers who will go to any lengths to get ‘candid’ family shots. Trust me, I take their safety very seriously.”

Malfoy dropped his gaze for a moment. When he spoke, his voice held a note of pleading sincerity Harry had never in it heard before. “I’ve... I’ve never let Scorpius stay over somewhere like this before. He’s my son.”

Then Harry did something he had never done before, either. He put a hand on Malfoy’s shoulder. “I promise you, Malfoy. I’ll take good care of him.”

Malfoy nodded once. Harry let his hand drop and led the way to the kitchen.

***

Over the next three weeks, Harry felt like he was getting to know his middle child all over again. Al was like a different person around Scorpius. He laughed and joked and played in a way Harry had never seen him do before. And he _talked_. Merlin, how he talked! Harry was convinced Al had said more in the first day Scorpius spent with them than he had during the entire summer up to that point. There was something about the boy that seemed to open Al up, letting different aspects of his personality shine through. He was still Al, still serious and earnest and prone to putting others ahead of himself, but there was a lightness to him, a joy, that Harry hadn’t seen before.

It was both thrilling and a little worrying. It made Harry question what had been missing in Al’s life before, that this side of him had remained so hidden. He couldn’t help feeling he had let Al down in some important way. There was something he should have given him, done for him, some way that he had failed. And of course, he couldn’t entirely forget Malfoy’s words either, how Scorpius had never mentioned Al. Then there was the way Scorpius had tensed in Al’s embrace that first day, the look of annoyance on his face. As much pleasure as it brought him to see Al so happy and free, Harry couldn’t help but worry that it might not last. And if it didn’t, he knew Al would be crushed.

 

**Summer 2021 (end of fourth year)**

Harry had got used to Scorpius’s presence in their lives. More than that, he had actually started to like the kid. Scorpius was funny, in a dry, acerbic kind of way that his father had tried for but had never been able to achieve. Malfoy had always had too much emotion behind his jibes, getting a reaction had always meant too much to him. Scorpius, on the other hand, managed to deliver his abuse with a kind of disaffected boredom, as if he could barely be bothered insulting you. Of course, he almost always ruined the effect by grinning a second later. Despite the astounding similarity in appearances, Scorpius wasn’t nearly as malicious as his father had been, not by a long shot. In fact, he was quite warm. He seemed genuinely fond of Harry’s family – even Lily, who had recently developed a crush on the boy and shadowed Al and Scorpius at every opportunity. And while Scorpius still didn’t look at Al with that dopey puppy dog look that Al had when he looked at Scorpius, Harry trusted their friendship.

Which is why he was somewhat disturbed to observe a rather conspicuous strain between the two boys when Scorpius arrived at the cottage.

It had been apparent almost as soon as Scorpius and Malfoy stepped through the door. Al had come bounding down the stairs the way he always did but before he reached Scorpius, he suddenly pulled up, stopping short. Instead of throwing his arm his arms around his friend in his usual effusive greeting, Al just stood there awkwardly, his fingers twitching as if he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

“Hey Scorpius!” he said a little too loudly.

“Hi Al,” Scorpius responded and Harry thought he sounded... angry? 

Harry shot a questioning look at Malfoy but Malfoy just raised a cool eyebrow in response. He didn’t know what was going on either, then. 

Malfoy set about to leave almost immediately – he was unable to stay for his usual cup of tea due to a prior appointment. Harry was still caught up in trying to figure out what was happening between the boys and almost missed Malfoy saying he’d be back for Scorpius in two weeks.

“What? Oh, you’re not staying til the end of the month then?” Harry asked. 

Rather tactlessly, apparently, as everyone suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“No. Sorry, Mr Potter, I assumed Al told you. I have to go back for the twenty-second. It’s my girlfriend’s birthday.”

“You have a girlfriend?” he asked, taken aback, and Scorpius blushed.

Harry didn’t know why he was so surprised. James had had his first girlfriend when he was twelve and he knew Albus had been seeing a girl in Slytherin, Ella Kenney, on and off for the last year. But somehow he hadn’t thought of Scorpius dating. 

“You needn’t act so astounded, Potter,” Draco drawled. “We Malfoys are a highly desirable lot. Scorpius has been getting owls from girls all summer.”

“You have?” Albus said incredulously.

Scorpius blushed an even deeper shade of red and looked down at his feet. “Just a few.”

“From who?” 

There was a tone in Al’s voice that bordered on accusation. Scorpius stiffened visibly and his bashful look was quickly replaced by something tight and defiant. 

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I want to know.”

Scorpius shot a meaningful look at Al and nodded towards Harry and Draco. “Let’s talk about it later.”

“But –

“Later.”

Malfoy gave Scorpius a hug and a kiss on the top of his head and then he was on his way. Harry accompanied him outside, pacing around the property with Malfoy as he double-checked the wards before leaving. When Harry got back, the boys were already holed up in Al’s room, Lily and her friend Anna lurking around the closed door, hoping to be invited in.

***

At dinner that night, things still seemed off between the boys. Al was uncharacteristically quiet, or rather, he was characteristically quiet, which was unusual when Scorpius was around. In fact, he was barely even looking at his friend. Instead, he picked morosely at his food and grunted whenever Scorpius made attempts at conversation. For his part, Scorpius kept trying to talk to Albus, a puzzled frown on his face when his attempts failed. Lily, of course, was only too happy to fill in the silences and seemed thrilled to have Scorpius’s attention.

Things were no better the next day, with breakfast every bit as painful as dinner had been. And then later that afternoon, Harry stumbled across the boys in the middle of an argument. They had all decided to go down to the beach, he, Lily and Anna, James and his friend Toby, Al and Scorpius. The others were already down there. Al and Scorpius had lingered behind, saying they’d be down in a minute. Harry had been half-way to the water when he realised he’d forgotten his towel. 

He found it on the kitchen table where he left it. He was just about to go back out when he heard the boys’ voices drifting in from the other room. 

“What’s wrong with you?” That was Scorpius, sounding irritated, his words sharp and loud.

“Nothing’s wrong with me.” Al’s tone was sullen. Harry could almost see the scowl on his son’s face.

“Al, you’ve barely said two words to me since I got here.”

There was a long silence, loaded and uncomfortable. Even from the other side of the door, Harry could feel the tension in the room.

“Do you not want me here?” Scorpius asked.

“Of course I want you here. I invited you, didn’t I?”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“There is no problem!”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

Another lengthy silence. Al would be staring at his feet now, arms crossed. Harry was well-familiar with Al’s stonewalling routine.

“Merlin. I don’t know how to talk to you when you’re like this. Look, I’m going down to the beach with James and Toby. You come find me when you’re done having your little hissy fit or whatever this is.”

He heard the door open and close, presumably Scorpius leaving.

A moment later, Al came into the kitchen. He looked surprised when he saw Harry. “Dad! I thought you were down at the beach.”

Al’s eyes looked a bit too bright and his lips were set in a thin line. 

Harry forced a casual note in his voice, trying not to let on that he had overheard the argument. He was sure Al would be embarrassed if he knew. “I was. I just came back for my towel. You and Scorpius coming?”

“Scorpius just went down. I’m... I’ll be there in a minute. I just –” Al broke off, blinking rapidly for a second and grimacing down at the floor. 

“You okay, Al?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” his son said, his tight voice belying his words. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

Fifteen minutes later, Al joined them on the beach. He spread his towel out next to Scorpius’s and flopped down with his usual lack of grace. Harry watched as surreptitiously as he could. He saw Scorpius turn towards Al, a questioning look on his face. Al just shook his head once, a small movement. Then he smiled, a little sheepish and a lot hopeful and Scorpius whacked him playfully up the back of the head and they both laughed and Harry breathed a small sigh of relief. 

He knew ups and downs were just a part of friendship but it was still hard to watch your own children go through them.

***

Harry loved having a full house. It always made him feel content, having his family around him, hearing the sounds of them going about their lives. He wished Ginny were there to share it with him. It was always bittersweet, his vacation with his children. He relished the chance to be alone with them and he knew Ginny appreciated the break but it was always around this point, about a week and half in, that he started to really miss the sweet smell and soft arms of his wife, her gentle smiles and not so gentle humour. His fiery, passionate Ginny. Merlin, he adored her. It was a beautiful life they had built together and Harry loved it.

Harry walked by Lily’s room, heard the giggles and small shrieks that seemed to come to thirteen year old girls as readily as breathing. He had a sudden, vivid memory of his fourth year at Hogwarts, how every girl in the school had seemed to giggle constantly once the Yule Ball had been announced. Merlin, what a shit year that had been, even leaving Voldemort aside. He grimaced at the memory of his attempt at asking Cho to be his date and again at the thought of his awkward stumbling around the dance floor with Parvati. Yes, he was very grateful to have those days behind him.

James’ room was quiet. He and Toby were down on the beach. Harry suspected they were smoking cigarettes and drinking Firewhisky but he wasn’t going to make an issue of it. They were seventeen after all. This was probably the last year James would be joining them at the cottage. He’d be going into seventh year in September. By next summer, he might even be working, and it would take a while before he would have the luxury of taking lengthy holidays the way Harry did. 

Al’s room was decidedly less quiet. Even through the closed door, Harry could hear angry voices. Al and Scorpius were arguing. 

“I still don’t see why you have to go.”

“Al.”

“What? Just because she asked you to go doesn’t mean you have to.”

“It’s not like she asked me just so I couldn’t be here with you. It’s her birthday, Al.”

“So?”

“So, she’s my girlfriend and I have to be there.”

“Whatever. She probably won’t even notice if you’re not there. She’s always too busy gossiping with her little friends.”

“Half of her friends are your cousins, you arse! Look, I know you’re disappointed I can’t stay the whole three weeks –”

“Who said I’m disappointed? I just think it’s pathetic how she’s got you at her beck and call. Merlin forbid you spend five minutes with anybody else.”

“For fuck’s sake, what is it with you and Katie?”

“Nothing. I just don’t like the way she treats you. And I _don’t_ like that you let her get away with it.”

“Katie treats me fine. She’s my _girlfriend_. I’m supposed to help her when she needs it. We’re supposed to spend time together. Maybe it just looks weird to you because you’re used to that half-arsed, sham of a relationship you have with Ella.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

“You know, Al, I was perfectly fine on my own. You were the one who told me to get a girlfriend. In fact, as I recall, you and Rose practically forced me and Katie into our first date, abandoning us at the Three Broomsticks without even bothering to make up a believable excuse!”

“I know! I know that!”

“So then, _what is going on_?”

“I told you it’s nothing.”

“For fuck’s sake –”

“Look, maybe when I told you I thought you should date Katie, I didn’t really think about what it would be like. Maybe I didn’t really think about how much time you would be spending with her, how much you’d talk about her, how you’d always be touching her, all lovey and crap.”

“What did you think I would do with a girlfriend? Ignore her and treat her like shit?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know, okay? I just didn’t think it would be like this. That she’d always be there, in the way. She’s always with you. Just there, always, with you.”

There was a long silence then. When Scorpius spoke again, his voice was low and tight.

“Al. This was your idea. This is what _you_ wanted.” 

“I know. But...”

“But what?” More silence. “ _What_?”

“Maybe I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what?”

“About all of it.”

“All of it?”

“ _All of it_.”

“Fuck, Al.” Scorpius sounded exasperated, angry even. “You’re such a fucking arse.”

There was something in the exchange that Harry wasn’t getting but he understood well enough when he heard the sound of a hand striking a body, the sound of someone slamming into a wall. There was a groan and some scuffling, the noisy clatter of things being knocked over. The boys were fighting. 

Harry debated going in and breaking them up but decided against it. Obviously they had things they needed to work out. Sometimes a physical altercation was the best way to do that. They’d get it out of their systems and then they’d be able to see straight again. Harry had often thought he and Ron would have had a much easier time of it over the years if there had been a few less angry silences and a few more black eyes.

There was more crashing about, another low groan, and he heard a soft “fuck” but whether it was Al or Scorpius, he couldn’t tell. Shaking his head, Harry made his way down the hall to his own room. Hopefully, come the morning, they’d have worked it all out without tearing the whole place down.

***

When the boys appeared for breakfast the next day, Harry was relieved to see their injuries weren’t nearly as bad as he had feared. Al had a long scratch down the side of his neck and seemed to be holding his arm on a bit of strange angle – presumably he’d knocked his shoulder during the fighting. Scorpius had a ring of small bruises around his right forearm where Albus had apparently grabbed him a little too roughly and his lips looked puffy but they weren’t split and Harry counted himself lucky for that. At least Malfoy wouldn’t kill him. If he’d arrived to find Scorpius with a bloody mouth, the boy would probably never be allowed to visit again.

Contrary to Harry’s expectations, however, their tussle seemed to have done nothing to relieve the tension between the two of them. If anything, it was worse. They ate their breakfast in absolute silence, responding neither to Lily’s attempts at conversation nor James’s taunts about their sullenness. Al kept his eyes glued to his plate the whole time. Scorpius looked up from his food every now and then to shoot Al a quick, anxious glance. After breakfast, all the kids went down to the beach. When Harry walked down to check on them a few hours later, he noticed Al and Scorpius were sitting on opposite sides of the group, as many bodies in between them as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summer 2023 (end of sixth year)**

It was hard to look at Scorpius and not feel a bit angry. 

Scorpius hadn’t come to the cottage with Al last summer. They hadn’t been on speaking terms then. Al had spent the entire three weeks – the whole summer really – brooding and moping and snapping at anyone who tried to talk to him about what was bothering him. Not that they didn’t know. Harry and Ginny had been dealing with it the entire year previous, stories of the escalating arguments between Al and Scorpius coming to them from Neville, Lily and even Malfoy. 

Al had been surly over Christmas holidays, barely leaving his room. When Scorpius came round to exchange gifts, the visit had been brief and tense. But Harry had still been surprised when Al said Scorpius wouldn’t be joining them that summer. He hadn’t realised things had got so bad between them.

They had made up soon after school started back up apparently. Before September was out, Scorpius’s name was back in Al’s letters and that Christmas had seen the boys laughing and joking around as they always did. Whatever had gone on between them seemed to be over. 

But still, seeing them together now, at the cottage, Harry couldn’t help remembering how miserable Al had been the summer before and, even though he didn’t know what had happened between them, he couldn’t help blaming Scorpius for that misery.

Harry watched them closely. Al’s laughter seemed unforced and natural, his smiles were wide and easy. He had returned to giving Scorpius his wild, full-bodied hugs and Scorpius had returned to catching the leaping body of his friend with an awkward smile. They talked and joked, knocked shoulders and leaned against each other. There didn’t seem to be any lingering tension. But still, something just didn’t seem right about it all. Something seemed... off.

Harry forced himself to be objective about it. Things happened with friends but it didn’t mean the friendships weren’t true. Look at him and Ron. They’d had more than one falling out over the years but Harry still counted him as his best mate and loved him like a brother. And Al did seem so much happier when Scorpius was around. He’d been plainly miserable without him. Harry should be glad they’d found a way to work through their differences. And he was. 

He just hoped it wasn’t temporary.

***

Harry couldn’t sleep. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He could sleep, it was just that when he did, he saw Cedric’s lifeless eyes staring blankly into nothing, heard Hermione’s screams as she was held under Cruciatus, saw Neville’s head catching on fire. Twenty-five years later and still the nightmares came. Not as often, at least, but never gone. With a heavy sigh, he got out of bed. Maybe a walk on the beach would help clear his head.

He made his way quietly down the stairs and turned the corner into the living room.

Where his son was kissing Scorpius Malfoy. 

Passionately.

They were on the sofa, that old beat up sofa they’d sat on hundreds of times over the last six years, playing Exploding Snap, eating candy, and reading comics. There were no comic books now, though, no piles of Chocolate Frog cards to be sorted. Now it was just the two of them and Albus was straddling Scorpius’s lap and he had his hands buried in the fine blond hair and he was kissing Scorpius as if his whole life depended on it. And while Harry might not know a lot about such things, he knew enough to know that this wasn’t a first kiss. Everything about their body language said this had happened before.

Harry ducked out of the room quickly, his heart racing. Albus and Scorpius?

He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water with a shaky hand. For a minute, his thoughts raced and tangled together, a knotted string of questions. How long had this been going on? Was Al gay? Why hadn’t he told him? Did he think Harry would care about that sort of thing, would be upset or disappointed? Did the kids know? Did Ginny know? Did _Malfoy_ know? Should he say something to Al or wait for Al to come to him? And what should he say? What was the right thing to say, the thing that would let Al know he was accepted and loved and cherished and Harry didn’t give a shit about his sexuality or who Al chose to love? Unless they hurt him and then there’d be hell to pay because he was Harry fucking Potter. He’d taken down Voldemort and he’d take down anyone who hurt his son. But this was Scorpius (Scorpius!) and Harry could trust him, right? Couldn’t he? But wait, wasn’t Scorpius straight?

The sound of shouting from the living room snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Get the fuck off me!” Scorpius. He sounded furious.

“Scorp, what?” Al’s voice was choppy, uneven.

“What do you mean, ‘what’? You know perfectly well what! You fucking kissed me, Al!”

“I know. But –”

“No! No buts. You have to stop this. We’ve talked about this a million times. I’m not interested in what you’re offering. So just back off.”

“Scorp, please.”

“No. I’m tired of this shit. It’s been two years, Al. Two years I’ve been putting up with this from you.” Scorpius sighed heavily. “You just can’t keep doing this. It’s not fair to keep putting me in this position when you know it’s not what I want.”

“I know. I know it’s not fair but I can’t help it. Sometimes, when I’m with you, you’re just, you’re all I can see. I just want you. Fuck, Scorp. I _want_ you.”

There was quiet then and Harry didn’t need to see into the room to know they were kissing again. But after a moment he heard Scorpius’s quiet, “Stop. Please.” and Al’s shaky, “Sorry.”

Now Scorpius was talking again. He sounded less angry though, more tired. “Look, you know how I feel about the situation. And if you’ve made it very clear how you feel. So you need to decide if pulling shit like this, letting your libido steer the ship, is more important to you than our friendship.”

And suddenly it was all clear. All the tension and the arguments and the fighting the last few years, it all made sense. Harry felt his heart break, barely noticing when the glass in his hand shattered. Al was in love with his best friend and Scorpius didn’t return the feelings. 

 

**Summer 2024 (end of seventh year)**

Harry loved the first few days at the cottage, before all the friends arrived, when it was just him and his kids. 

James wasn’t there this year. It was the first summer James hadn’t come to the cottage since he was born and Harry missed him so much it hurt. It felt like the beginning of the end and he didn’t like it. Still, he supposed he’d have to get used to it. With Al just finished Hogwarts, it was likely his last summer at the cottage. Next year, it would just be Harry and Lily. And a couple years after that, it would just be Harry again. He closed his eyes against the thought.

That morning, he came downstairs to find Al bent over the kitchen counter, eating cereal and reading a Quidditch magazine. Lily was still upstairs in bed. 

“Hey Dad!” Al called as Harry came into the room. “You’ve got to see this. They’ve reprinted some old photos of Mum from her training year. I mean, they’re foul ‘cause she’s my mum, but she was pretty hot back then. Good on you.”

Harry looked at the magazine. Sure enough, a nineteen year old Ginny was smiling up at him from astride her broomstick. She was wearing a shockingly short skirt in Harpies colours and little else, her long red hair tumbling down to hide everything that needed hiding. He remembered that photo well. Molly had nearly had a heart attack when she’d seen it and Harry had been less than pleased himself. He hadn’t been thrilled to have his fiancée’s near naked body splashed across the pages of _Quidditch Weekly_ for the whole world to see. They’d fought about it for a long time, whether or not it crossed the line. Ginny had won the argument eventually – it was her body and her decision at the end of the day – but in a way Harry had won, too. In a conciliatory gesture, Ginny had made an album of all the proofs from the photo shoot, along with a couple extras she’d taken on her own, and given it to Harry. He’d been very glad of that photo album whenever Ginny’s team was on the road.

As he looked away from the magazine, about to turn and start a pot of tea, he saw something that made him freeze. 

Al was still bent over the magazine, now looking at reviews for the latest Cleansweep, giving Harry a perfect view of the small tattoo high up on his neck, below his hairline, set just right of midline. Two small letters in dark blue ink: SM. 

His heart seemed to lurch in his chest, and before he’d even really thought about it, Harry’s hand came up, his fingers brushing lightly over the stark letters. _Oh Al, what have you done_?

“This is new,” he said and was pleased at how even his voice sounded.

Al turned and gave him a nervous smile. “Yeah, I got it a couple of months ago.”

“So I take it things are going well for you two then?”

Whatever reservations Scorpius had been having that night last summer when Harry saw the boys kissing, he’d apparently got over them rather quickly. They had been back at school less than a week when Al owled to say that they were dating. Harry hadn’t known whether to be happy about it or not. On the one hand, he was glad Al was finally with the person he loved. On the other, it was disquieting knowing that the relationship hadn’t just happened, that Scorpius had required convincing. Years of convincing even, if the rocky road of their friendship since fourth year was any indication. 

And now, ten months later, the shine barely off the thing, really, and Al had Scorpius’s initials tattooed on his neck and Harry had a horrible feeling that his son had absolutely everything on the line when it came to Scorpius. And if there was one thing the war had taught Harry it was that when you put everything on the line, losing might just destroy you.

“Yeah, they are,” Al said. “Really well. Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that.”

“About you and Scorpius?”

“Yeah.” Al turned around to face him squarely. He still looked nervous but excited too and Harry just knew he wasn’t going to like what Al had to tell him. “Well, it’s just, you know Scorp and I are both going to be living in London come the autumn and we’ve been together for a while and... Oh, fuck it, we’re moving in together.”

Harry gaped. “You’re what?”

“We’re moving in together.” Al looked at him expectantly, waiting for a reaction. When none came, he shifted uncomfortably. “Dad?”

But Harry didn’t know what to say. His gut told him it was a bad idea and Harry had survived a war and twenty years as an Auror by listening to his gut. Living with someone was different from just dating. There was so much potential for Al to be hurt. Harry stood there in silence, trying to work out how he could get Al to see that. He desperately wished Ginny were there. She would know just what to say to get Al to see reason.

But now Al was getting exasperated. “Jesus, Dad. Say something already.”

“Isn’t it a little soon?” Harry managed to get out.

Al laughed. “Soon? This has been coming for seven years. If anything, I’d say it’s overdue.”

“Well, you’ve been friends for seven years. But being with someone, living with someone, it’s different, Al.”

Al’s laughter faded, his smile slipping off his face. “I don’t understand. I thought you’d be happy for me. You do like Scorpius, right? I mean, you’ve always seemed to.”

“Yes, I like Scorpius. It’s not that. I just, you’re both so young. I don’t see what your rush is.”

“The rush is that we love each other, that we want to spend the rest of our lives together and we don’t want to wait anymore. And we’ll be nineteen this year. That’s how old Mum was when you got married.”

“That was different.”

“Because it was you?”

“Because of the war.” 

Those words usually ended any conversation. He didn’t like to speak them, didn’t like to bring memories of the war into their lives. But it was true. After Voldemort was defeated, after Harry had returned from sacrificing himself for the sake of the wizarding world, he had craved normalcy, security, love. He had craved Ginny. It had been different.

“The war was over then,” Al said quietly.

And it was that, more than anything, that let Harry know exactly how serious his son was about Scorpius. This was going to happen, whether Harry wanted it to or not. He forced a smile onto his face. “Look, Al, I’m sorry. You just threw me for a loop with this. Of course I’m happy for you. Scorpius is a great kid. It’s really exciting news.”

But it was too little too late. He could tell from the look on Al’s face that he had fucked it all up, stolen away a bit of Al’s joy with his doubts.

***

Scorpius arrived later that afternoon, Malfoy in tow. Of course, the boys were now old enough that Scorpius no longer needed an escort to Harry’s cottage but Malfoy came just the same. As always, he stayed for a cup of tea, gave his yearly summary of Harry’s failings as a parent and a human being, doubled check the wards, and then left. The years hadn’t made them friends, not by a long shot, but it had softened the animosity between them. Harry found he almost looked forward to his time with Malfoy. Somehow, life just didn’t feel complete if Malfoy wasn’t lurking somewhere in the background, calling him a speccy, disfigured git. 

During his visit, Malfoy hadn’t said anything about the boys moving in together. In fact, he hadn’t mentioned their relationship at all. Harry kept hoping he’d bring it up, wanting to get his opinion on it, hoping that Malfoy shared his misgivings so he could stop feeling like the worst father on the planet, but he never did. Whether he didn’t know or whether he simply didn’t want to talk about it, Harry couldn’t say, but he knew it wasn’t his place to tell Malfoy if Scorpius hadn’t done so yet. So he kept his mouth shut and was disappointed when Malfoy Disapparated away, leaving Harry feeling just as guilty and torn as before.

***

That night, Harry lay awake in bed. All he could think about was Al and Scorpius, if it could really work out for them or if Al was about to get his heart shattered. He searched his memories of the last six summers for evidence one way or the other and while there were lots of positive memories, things that should warm his heart and give him peace of mind, there were many negative ones, too, ominous red flags that waved and snapped and demanded attention.

With a sigh, he got out of bed. He made his way downstairs to the living room, lit a fire in the hearth and just stood, watching the flames, thinking.

A few minutes later, he heard the sound of footsteps in the hall and then a soft voice called his name.

“Mr Potter?”

Harry turned around to see Scorpius standing in the doorway in his pyjamas, one of Al’s jumpers pulled on over top. Molly had made that one. God, if only Malfoy could be there to witness it, his son and sole heir in a Weasley jumper, he’d probably tear out the little hair he had left. “Scorpius. Is something wrong?”

Scorpius shifted in the doorway, seeming nervous. “No, everything’s fine. I heard you come down here and I hoped I might talk to you for a minute. If I’m intruding, though, I can leave.”

“No, it’s fine. I couldn’t sleep, just came down to clear my head. Please, come in.”

Scorpius did, sitting on the edge of the sofa. The sofa where a year ago Harry had seen the boys kissing right before Scorpius said he wasn’t interested in being with Al.

Harry settled in a nearby chair. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, about me. And Al. Me and Al being together. He told me about this morning, that he told you about us moving in together and that you weren’t particularly happy about it.”

“Scorpius –” Harry began.

Scorpius cut him off, rushing ahead as though afraid he might not get the words out. “Your opinion matters a lot to Al, and to me too, actually, and I thought maybe if we could talk about it, I could change your mind. I know you’ve never really liked the idea of me and Al being together...”

Merlin, but the kid really was a Gryffindor. Chivalrous and brave and not going to give up without a fight. If only Harry could be sure of Scorpius’s feelings for Al…

Harry sighed. “Scorpius, I think you’re a nice kid, I really do. I have no problems with you as a person.”

“But?”

“But Al’s my son and it’s hard for a father to watch his child try to make a life with someone who doesn’t love him as much as he loves them.”

Scorpius blinked. “You think I don’t care for Al as much as he cares for me?”

“I know it’s not on purpose,” Harry said gently. “We can’t control these things. But as his father, you have to see why it makes me worry. I just want him to be happy, be with someone who will still want to be with him a year from now, ten years from now.”

“And you think I won’t?” He sounded a little shell-shocked.

“The truth is, I’m just not sure, Scorpius.”

Scorpius shook his head slowly. “I don’t understand. Why do you think that?”

“It’s always been that way between the two of you. Even the first day I met you, I could see it. Al’s always been over the moon for you, so happy when you’re together, his excitement just radiating off him in waves. It nearly killed him when you were dating Katie Belgrave. That’s the only time in my life I’ve ever seen him jealous. Seeing your friendship fall apart, what it did to Al – it was just really hard to watch, as a parent. It was hard to see him hurting like that.”

“And you think that was my fault.” His words were a statement, not a question.

Harry shook his head. “Things happen between friends, Scorpius, I know that. And you two seemed to work it out. But then last summer, well, I saw you two. In here. Kissing. And I heard you say that you weren’t interested in him, that he needed to stop trying to make something happen between you. And then a couple months later, you’re dating, and now he’s showing up here with your initials tattooed on his neck and tells me you’re moving in together. There have just been so many ups and downs for you two and it seems like Al is always the one getting hurt. I don’t think you mean to hurt him, Scorpius, but you do.”

Scorpius sat silently for a moment, staring down at his hands and chewing on his lower lip. Harry started to wonder if this whole conversation had been a terrible idea. He should have just sent Scorpius away when he appeared at the door.

After another long moment, Scorpius looked up, his gaze drifting towards the fire. “I don’t know where to begin. I mean, I can see how it must look to you but the truth is, you’ve got it all backwards. I’m the one who’s been chasing after Al from the start. He’s the one that took convincing. Mr Potter, I’ve been in love with your son since I met him.”

Scorpius caught his eye then, and Harry could see the utter sincerity on his face. He felt his stomach drop. He’d been wrong. He’d had it all wrong. 

“Of course, I didn’t realise it right away; the first couple of years at Hogwarts, we were just friends. Don’t get me wrong, he was my best friend, but I didn’t have any other feelings for him. But then, you know, puberty and all that, and by the time fourth year rolled around, it was pretty clear to me that I was into boys and Al in particular.” 

“Fourth year? But that’s when you were dating Katie, wasn’t it?”

Scorpius nodded. “Yes, but it wasn’t really a real relationship. It was, well, it’s kind of a long story, but let’s just say that by fourth year, it was becoming obvious to Al that my feelings for him were more than just friendly. And it was becoming obvious to both of us that he felt something for me, too. It freaked him out; he wasn’t ready to handle it then. So he started dating Ella Kenney and pretty much arranged for me to date Katie. 

Harry remembered what it had felt like to see Ginny with Dean back in his sixth year at Hogwarts. He’d wanted to punch things every time he saw them together. He tried to imagine how much worse it must have been for Scorpius, knowing that he and Al were with the wrong people, knowing that Al had feelings for him too. “Why would you go along with that?”

Scorpius shrugged. “It was what Al needed me to do. It let him feel safe being around me and I would have done pretty much anything to keep him in my life. And honestly, I tried my best to like her. I tried to be a good boyfriend, attentive and affectionate and all that but my heart just wasn’t in it and I think she knew it, too. In the end, she was angry at me and Al was angry at me and I was miserable. The whole thing was a disaster. All it really did was prove to Al and me that we were much more interested in each other than girls. Which should have been a good thing but instead it just made everything much, much worse.”

“Worse?”

“Al really resisted the whole thing. I think the idea of being gay scared him. He was afraid of what people would say, afraid of disappointing you and Mrs Potter, afraid of what the press would make of it. But I think it was also just hard for him to accept for himself, too, you know? So he went back and forth, denying it and giving into it. It made me angry; we fought about it a lot. That falling out we had at the end of fifth year? That’s what it was about. I was tired of him pretending that there was nothing going on between us. I just couldn’t take it anymore. But even then I knew, he was it for me.” 

Scorpius pulled up the edge of his jumper, revealing the left side of his body. Up near the middle of his ribcage, in a place that would usually be hidden by the natural fall of his arm, was a small tattoo, two green letters: AP. 

“I got this that summer. I know it’s not as obvious as Al’s but we weren’t speaking at the time and I was pretty sure he would kill me if he knew. Plus, I didn’t want my father to see it. I was still under the delusion back then that I could hide my feelings for Al from him, afraid he’d disapprove and try to force me to end our friendship. But I think he knew from the start. I tried so hard in first year not to mention Al to my dad or show any signs of how much he meant to me. Ironically enough, I think it was my silence that gave me away. Anyway, I got the tattoo, knowing that whatever happened, Al was always going to be a part of me and, I don’t know, I needed to carry him with me somehow.”

Scorpius lowered his jumper, his fingers smoothing out the wool. “We worked it out eventually. I won’t embarrass you with the details of it all but we reached a point where we had both accepted it and both knew what we were to each other. But Al didn’t want to take it public and I, I don’t know, growing up a Malfoy, I was tired of secrets. I’ve never seen any good come from secrets.”

Harry nodded and wryly wondered what Lucius Malfoy would make of the legacy he had created, an abhorrence of secrets and lies, even when they could get you the thing you most wanted. 

“I tried it for a while,” Scorpius continued. “I just wanted to be with him, you know? But it was too hard, being one way in private and another in public. We fought about it all the time. It seemed to slowly be ruining everything, even our friendship. So we tried going back to being friends but that didn’t really work either. There was too much there between us to be ignored. Just when I was about to give in and accept whatever terms Al wanted, anything so long as I could be with him again, he came to me and said he was ready to be together for real. Anyway, that was last year and well, you know the rest.”

Maybe he did but then again, maybe not. Seeing now how very wrong he had been about everything, Harry suddenly wondered if he knew anything about the boys’ relationship at all.

“So I know it looks to you like I don’t care about Al as much as he cares about me but I swear to you, Mr Potter, I love your son. I’ve loved him for years. “

“I believe you, Scorpius,” Harry said quickly. “I do. I just, I don’t know what to say.” He felt like a total arse. How could he have been so wrong? How could he have failed to see what was right before his eyes? “I am sorry, though. I’m sorry I thought those things about you, questioned your feelings for Al. To tell you the truth, I’m feeling like a real arse at the moment.”

“It’s okay. You were just trying to protect your son. And I can see now how it must have looked to you.” He gave Harry a small smile. “I’m actually really glad. I thought maybe you weren’t happy about it because I’m a Malfoy…”

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head firmly. “It was never that.”

They fell quiet for a moment. Then Harry gave Scorpius a grin. “So has your father seen that tattoo?”

“Yeah, he saw it last year. Nearly had a fit. Of course, tattoos mean something different to him than they do to most people.”

Harry nodded at that. It wouldn’t have been easy for Malfoy to see his son mark his body, no matter what the reason. “So have you told him yet, about you and Al moving in?”

“No, we wanted to start with you. We thought you’d be the easy one.” Scorpius gave him a wry smile. 

They talked a while longer and then Scorpius went back to bed. Harry sat by the fire for a long time, watching as the flames burned down til there was nothing left but glowing embers, trying to figure out how he had been so wrong about Scorpius, the relationship he shared with Al, and how on earth he was going to make it up to both of them.

***

A few days later, they were enjoying a leisurely breakfast, just Harry, Lily and the boys – Lily’s friend Anna was tied up with a family wedding and wouldn’t be joining them until next week. It was a grey day and the morning rain had lulled them all into sleeping later than they usually did. The mood seemed peaceful and relaxed and Harry thought it was the perfect time for his surprise. 

“What’s this?” Al asked, picking up the brown envelope Harry had pushed across the table to him.

Harry grinned. “Open it and see.”

Al pulled out the sheaf of papers from inside the envelope and looked at them in confusion. Scorpius leaned over to take a look, too. 

“Is this what I think it is?” Al asked after a moment.

“It’s the deed to Grimmauld Place. It’s yours, if you want it.”

“ _What_?” Lily shrieked, jumping up from her seat to look at the papers for herself.

“Well, you know, after your announcement, I got to thinking about things and I thought, you’re going to need a place to live in London, right?” 

“Yes, but, Dad, it’s your house. It’s _Sirius’s_ house.”

Harry smiled gently. “I know. That’s why I want you to have it. Scorpius is the last of the Black line. That house is a part of both of you. What better place to start your life together?”

Al gave him a doubtful look. “But don’t you want it?”

“Al, that house has been empty for over twenty years. It has too many memories for me to use it but it means too much to me to sell it. This is the perfect solution. Unless you don’t want it. I’d understand if you don’t, even with the renovations, it is a bit old-fashioned.”

“No! We want it!” Al said hurriedly, making Scorpius laugh. “Trust me, we want it.”

“You lucky bugger!” Lily punched Al on the shoulder. “I love that house! You’d better keep a room there for me.”

“Always, Lils,” Al said, pulling her close in a one-armed hug.

Scorpius looked over at Harry, his expression serious. “Mr Potter, you didn’t have to do this.”

Harry smiled, hearing the underlying meaning to his words. “I know. I wanted to.”

“It’s too much,” Scorpius insisted.

“It’s no less than we did for James when he was done school. How do you think he paid for his place in Manchester?”

“Ooo! What do I get when I finish Hogwarts?” Lily asked with a grin.

Harry gave her a look. “Let’s get you finished first. Then we’ll worry about presents.”

“What’s the fun in that?”

Harry rolled his eyes but he couldn’t help smiling. “Anyway, the place needs some work but it will be ready for you by the first week of September.”

Al set the papers down and shook his head, clearly overwhelmed. “I don’t know what to say, Dad.”

“Just say that you’re happy. That’s all I care about.”

“Oh, I’m happy all right.”

They chattered away excitedly through the rest of breakfast, Al and Lily filling Scorpius in on Grimmauld Place, discussing at length the best way to set the house up and the changes they would want to make. Then Al and Scorpius offered to clear the table, leaving Harry and Lily sitting together. They smiled at each other as they saw Al trap Scorpius against the counter for a brief moment, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck.

“I’m so happy for them,” Lily said. “I mean, I’m still a bit heartbroken that the hottest boy I’ve ever met is gay and in love with my brother,” she added with a wink, “but it’s so great to see everything finally going right with those two. For a while I was afraid Al wasn’t going to get his shit together in time and blow the whole thing.”

“Yes, well, he probably gets that from me. I was never too good at relationships, either.”

“You seem to have done okay in the end,” Lily said, nudging him with her shoulder. “And Al, too.”

“That’s us Potter men,” Harry said with a laugh. “Lucky in love despite ourselves.”

 

**September 2024. (two months later)**

As Number Twelve Grimmauld Place stretched into existence in front of them, Harry saw Draco sneer.

“What?”

“You gave them a fucking _house_.”

“So? They needed somewhere to live and the place was just sitting there empty.”

“Yes, well, don’t even get me started on _that_.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean, Potter, is that it’s bad enough that you _stole_ the Black family home from me, but to just leave it, empty and decaying for the last twenty-five years, rats and doxies and Merlin knows what else nesting in it – it’s atrocious.”

“There’s nothing nesting in it!” Harry protested. “Just because I haven’t been living in it doesn’t mean I haven’t maintained it.”

Malfoy gave him a dubious look.

“Besides, think of it this way,” Harry offered with a grin. “It might not be yours but at least Scorpius is living in it now.”

“By grace of a Potter,” Malfoy said and he gave a theatrical shudder. “That’s the worst part of all. I was stupid in my youth, I know that. I made mistakes but surely I’ve paid for them by now. How much longer will the universe continue to punish me?”

“Yes, because seeing your son safe and happy is such horrible punishment.”

“He told me, you know, about your little conversation. How you completely misread the entire situation between him and Al.”

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Harry muttered.

Draco laughed. “I’ll say. Honestly, how you could miss it is completely beyond me.”

“Hey! Anyone could have made the same mistake!”

“Mmm. Except no one else did. Even Astoria knew and she’s only seen them together twice. You’ve had them living with you every summer for the last _seven years_. It’s shameful. I mean, really, aren’t you the _head_ of the Auror Department?”

“It’s different when it’s your own family!” Harry insisted.

“Potter, a blind stranger could see the way the boys feel about each other.”

Harry just rolled his eyes.

“Tell me truth. Granger was the one who killed Voldemort, wasn’t she? Because I don’t see how the noseless bastard could possibly have lost to someone as clueless as you.” 

“Shut it,” Harry said and started across the street towards the townhouse. “Prat.”

Malfoy followed quickly on his heels. “Wanker.”

“Git.”

“Tosser.”

“Arse.”

“Scar-head.”

“Ferret-face.”

They started up the stairs towards the front door. When they got to the landing, Malfoy knocked on the door and then turned to grin at Harry. “Speccy, disfigured attention whore.”

Harry grinned back. “Spoilt, pointy evil-doer.” 

The door opened and there stood both of their sons, crowding the doorway, smiling eagerly.

“Come in!” Al said enthusiastically, and Harry and Malfoy stepped inside.

They had barely taken off their shoes before they were swept along in an excited tour of the house. Harry was amazed. The place looked nothing like it had back in the days of the Order of the Phoenix. He knew this already, of course. He himself had done many renovations and repairs, hoping one day the memories might fade enough that he could live in the house. But the boys had made more changes still, taking out walls, enlarging windows, painting, and hanging bright artwork. Everywhere he looked was colour and light. More than that, he could see Al and Scorpius’s personalities all over the place. It was a real home, their home. 

Al and Scorpius held hands almost the entire time they walked through the house, only letting go when climbing the narrow staircase. Even then, they had barely cleared the last step before they were reaching for each other again. As they moved through the upper floors, Harry and Malfoy saw the guest rooms, Lily’s room, an upstairs study, and a newly renovated bath. Finally, the only room left was the master bedroom. Both boys were a little shy as they showed their fathers in.

It was tastefully decorated in blues and greys, the furniture and bedding all quite spartan except for the enormous pile of fluffy pillows at the top of the bed. Harry had never understood this decorating trend and, assuming it was something feminine and frivolous, was surprised to see the mountain of pillows in an otherwise very masculine room. He made a comment to that effect and heard Malfoy snicker beside him.

He turned on the other man. “What? I’m just saying, it’s never made any sense to me. Really, what on earth could the boys need all those pillows for?”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment and then Al burst out laughing and Scorpius blushed so red he could have rivalled a Weasley.

“For fuck’s sake, Potter,” Malfoy drawled. 

Harry just stared at him, long seconds passing before it sunk in. “Oh. _Oh_.” He coughed a couple of times. “Right.”

Scorpius was still blushing and couldn’t seem to look anyone in the eye. Al put his arms around his boyfriend and whispered something in his ear. Somehow, incredibly, Scorpius’s blush seemed to deepen and he laughed quietly, burying his face against Al’s neck. 

Malfoy elbowed Harry lightly. “Seriously, _a blind stranger_.”

Harry just grinned. He couldn’t help but agree.

The End


End file.
